Once best known for running in slow motion across TV screens as CJ on Baywatch, Pamela Anderson has reinvented herself many times, most recently as a chef.
Her plant-based recipe book, I Love You: Recipes From The Heart, was released this week and we're obsessed with the Hollywood star's healthy new lifestyle.
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A passionate cook and gardener, Pamela has compiled 80 delicious recipes to feed your soul. The recipe started as a housewarming gift of recipe cards to my two adult sons, Brandon and Dylan.
Although there's no meat involved, these decadent dishes (hello waffles!) are perfect for the cozy season. Today I would like to introduce three of them.
If you've ever dreamed of glowing skin like Pamela, who went makeup-free and no-makeup on last year's red carpet and has become a no-makeup beauty icon in her 50s, these plant-based creations are just the thing. That's right.
Believe us when we say, meet your new crush!
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Roasted whole cauliflower with harissa
This is perfect as the star of the show or as a side dish. It's very easy and quick to make. Parboil the cauliflower and finish in a hot oven.
service: 4-6
material:
*1 whole cauliflower large (2-3 small) (total 850g)
*120g plain unsweetened vegetable yogurt or vegetable sour cream
*2 tablespoons harissa
*2 teaspoons sumac powder
*1 teaspoon ground cumin
*Pinch cardamom
*Extra virgin olive oil
*Fine sea salt
*Freshly ground black pepper
For Tahini Yogurt Swirl:
*Tahini 70g
*1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
*1 clove of garlic (chopped)
*3 tablespoons ice water
*1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
*Freshly ground black pepper
*120g plain unsweetened vegetable yogurt or sour cream
To provide:
*Pomegranate molasses
*Seeds of half a pomegranate
*4 dates, seeded and chopped
*2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
*1 tablespoon chopped dill
*1 tablespoon chopped parsley
*1 tablespoon chopped mint
method:
1. Preheat the oven to 240℃. Prepare the cauliflower. Bring a very large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower (whole, with as many leaves on as possible) and cook for 7 minutes, then remove from the water and transfer to a baking dish.
2. Combine the vegetable yogurt, harissa, sumac, cumin, and cardamom. Spread harissa yogurt all over the cauliflower. Drizzle olive oil over it and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 to 20 minutes, until sizzling and fork-tender.
3. While the cauliflower is roasting, swirl the tahini yogurt. Combine tahini, lemon juice, and garlic. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time. The sauce will thicken at first, but keep whisking until it becomes creamy and light in color. Season with salt and plenty of pepper.
4. The platter should be fairly large for maximum effect. Spoon the plant-based yogurt and tahini sauce randomly around the platter, using the spoon to rotate both into a nice shape. Assemble the dish: Place the roasted whole cauliflower on top of a swirl of tahini yogurt and pour over the pomegranate molasses. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, dates, pine nuts, and herbs. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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Stack of crispy waffles
I like to serve these with precious nuts, berries, and Canadian maple syrup. My sons are experts at stacking.
What to make: 4-8
material:
*125g unbleached organic soft flour
*100g wholemeal spelled flour or other wholemeal flour
*3 tablespoons granulated sugar
*1 teaspoon baking powder
*1 teaspoon fine sea salt
*1/2 teaspoon baking soda
*295g plain unsweetened vegetable yogurt or sour cream
*240ml unsweetened vegetable milk
*3 tablespoons melted coconut oil (refined or unrefined)
*2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
*Vegetable oil spray
*Toppings of your choice: sliced bananas, berries, cacao nibs, roasted nuts, vegetable butter, nut butter, maple syrup, whipped coconut cream
method:
1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, spelled flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add the plant-based yogurt, plant-based milk, melted coconut oil, and vanilla. Whisk gently until combined.
2. Heat up the waffle maker. Coat the inside surface with vegetable oil spray. Ladle the batter into the ladle and fry for 2-5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Stack the baked waffles and top with your favorite toppings and enjoy. I provide a small bowl, but the kids love to put it together themselves and it's so much fun.
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soft pretzels
Fluffy, fluffy, salty… it goes perfectly with homemade grain mustard. And it's fun to make.
What to make: 8
material:
*2 tablespoons maple syrup
*Active dry yeast 2/4 teaspoon (7g)
*360ml lukewarm water
*Unbleached organic soft flour 565g
*2 teaspoons fine sea salt
*60ml extra virgin olive oil, add more to oil bowl
*Flake sea salt, for furikake
*Dijon mustard (for serving)
*2L water
*Baking soda 145g
method:
1. Ferment the yeast: Combine maple syrup, yeast, and 120ml water in a small bowl and mix well. Let stand at warm room temperature until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Make the dough and let it rise. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, salt, olive oil, yeast mixture, and remaining 240ml water. Mix on low speed for 5 to 6 minutes until the dough forms tightly around the hook.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and gently knead it into a ball. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly grease them with oil. Shape the pretzels: Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a 46cm long rope. Using one rope at a time, grab the ends to make a U shape, cross one end of the rope over the other, twist around each other, and tuck the ends into the rounded sides of the U to create the shape. Classic pretzel shape.
5. Place the shaped pretzels on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the other shapes. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise until puffed, about 30 minutes.
6. Boil and bake the pretzels. Preheat the oven to 240°C. Prepare the baking soda bath: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the baking soda. Be careful as bubbles will form. Carefully lower the formed pretzels one at a time into the baking soda bath. Lift the pretzel and let gravity stretch it into an even thinner pretzel. Boil for 30 seconds, then use a slotted spoon to flip and cook the other side for 30 seconds. Remove the cooked pretzels and return them to their original position on the baking sheet. While the dough is still wet, sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels. Once everything boils, bake the pretzels until deep golden brown, about 12 minutes. Serve warm with Dijon mustard.
